17-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for £10m?

£10m for a teenager? I was shocked this morning when I found out that Liverpool are lining up a bid for Southampton’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Southampton teenager is only 17 years old but is already being hailed as a future star who will be better than Theo Walcott. (I hope he has better decision making abilities than Walcott as Walcott’s are shocking!)

Chamberlain has made only 14 starts for the League One club but is regarded by many at Southampton, and Liverpool’s scouting department, as a better prospect than Theo Walcott was at the same age. The attacking midfielder has already scored 6 goals this season which goes to show he knows where the back of the net is.

Damien Comolli watched the 17-year-old score against Oldham last night in the Saints’ 6-0 win at Boundary Park. But Comolli was not the only one at the game keeping an eye on the teenager: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was also there and it is thought that he is also after Chamberlain. For me, if that is the case then we must fight off United from getting him. We have lost out too many times in the past to United when it comes to the transfer market.

I believe £10m is a bit too much to spend on a teenager who has not been tested yet at the top level. But as the Fenway Sports Group seeks to make their mark on Liverpool and introduce the brightest young talent to the club, then surely this must be a signing they should make to stamp their authority if we can afford it.